NBA All-Rookie Team

The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team.[1] The All-Rookie Team is generally composed of two five-man lineups: a first team and a second team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for each second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, with the next five making the second team. In the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six players due to a tie, the second team will still consist of five players with the potential for more expansion in the event of additional ties. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2012, when Kawhi Leonard, Iman Shumpert, and Brandon Knight tied in votes received. No respect is given to positions. For example, the first team had four forwards, and one guard in 2008, while the first team had four centers (two of which were forward-centers) and one guard in 2016.

a Before the 1971–72 season, Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.[7]

b When Olajuwon arrived in the United States, the University of Houston incorrectly spelled his first name "Akeem". Olajuwon used that spelling until March 9, 1991, when he announced that he would add an H.[8][9]

c Richard Dumas was originally drafted in 1991, but due to drug violations, he was suspended for the entire 1991–92 season. His rookie season began in the 1992–93 season.

d Ron Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace on September 16, 2011.[10]

e Amar'e Stoudemire's first name had previously been spelled incorrectly as "Amaré" or "Amare" since joining the NBA, but was changed to "Amar'e" in October 2008.[11][12]

f Blake Griffin was drafted in 2009, but injured his left kneecap in a pre-season game before the 2009–10 season. He underwent surgery in January 2010 and missed the entire season. His rookie season began in the 2010–11 season.[13]